1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the conversion of chemical energy to electrical energy, and more particularly, to an alkali metal electrochemical cell having a transition metal chalcogenide activated with a nonaqueous electrolyte including a passivation inhibitor additive provided therein.
2. Prior Art
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,310,609 and 4,391,729 to Liang et al. disclose the preparation of silver vanadium oxide as a cathode material for use in a nonaqueous electrolyte battery. These patents describe the preparation of silver vanadium oxide by a thermal decomposition reaction involving a final heat treatment step of about 360.degree. C.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,940 to Keister et al. describes a solid cathode, liquid organic electrolyte, lithium cell for delivering high current pulses. The solid cathode includes as an active material Ag.sub.x V.sub.2 O.sub.y wherein x is in the range from about 0.5 to about 2.0 and y is in the range from about 4.5 to 6.0. Keister et al. reference the publication "Effect of Silver Content on the Performance of Primary Lithium/Silver Vanadium Oxide Batteries", E. S. Takeuchi and P. Keister, Electrochemical Society, Oct. 13-18, 1985, Las Vegas, Nevada, Abstract No. 125, which describes the preparation of silver vanadium oxide at about 360.degree. C. from the thermal decomposition of silver nitrate and vanadium pentoxide.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,453 to Crespi discloses the preparation of silver vanadium oxide by a chemical addition reaction (combination of AgVO.sub.3 and V.sub.2 O.sub.5 or Ag.sub.2 O and V.sub.2 O.sub.5) in a temperature range of about 300.degree. C. to about 700.degree. C. The chemical addition reaction is described as being distinct from the thermal decomposition reaction described by Liang et al. and Keister et al.
In the publication R. A. Leising and E. S. Takeuchi, Chemistry of Materials, 5, 738-742 (1993) the preparation of silver vanadium oxide by the thermal decomposition of AgNO.sub.3 and V.sub.2 O.sub.5 at temperatures of 320.degree. C., 375.degree. C., 450.degree. C., and 540.degree. C. is described. That publication also reports discharge results of experimental Li/SVO cells containing those variously prepared silver vanadium oxide materials activated with 1M LiAsF.sub.6 PC/DME electrolyte. The 375.degree. C. prepared SVO material gave slightly higher delivered capacity than the 450.degree. C. material, and significantly higher capacity than the SVO material prepared at 540.degree. C. The delivered capacity of these cells was measured using a constant resistance discharge over a short period of time (less than 2 days).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,753,389 to Gan et al. describes the use of organic carbonate additives in nonaqueous electrolyte lithium batteries to reduce or eliminate voltage delay.